Moonbird

by Joyce Dunbar, Jane E. Ray (Illustrations)

Moonchild was blowing bubbles. Big, pearly moon bubbles they were, floating off into outer space.

Some burst upon the spikes of stars. Some floated all the way to earth and burst wherever they landed.
A Moonchild blows a bubble that pops on an Earth baby and surrounds him in silence. His parents, a King and Queen, are devastated when they realize that their baby cannot hear or speak. But a Moonbird teaches the little prince how to use his hands and eyes to communicate. This is a beautifully told story, exquisitely illustrated by Jane Ray.

Genres: Picture Books, Disability

32 pages, Hardcover

First published August 3, 2006

About the author

Joyce Dunbar is an English author of over seventy children’s books, best known for Tell Me Something Happy Before I Go To Sleep, This Is The Star, and the Mouse and Mole series. Born in Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, she studied English at Goldsmiths College before teaching drama until hearing loss led her to write full time in 1989. Her first children’s book appeared when she was 35, followed by works such as Mundo and the Weather-Child, which explored the experiences of a deaf child and earned critical recognition. Her stories have been adapted for stage, television, and interactive media, with Mouse and Mole becoming a 26-part animated series. She has also been an advocate for deaf awareness, cycling across Cuba for charity. Dunbar lives in Norwich.

Reviews

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully illustrated story of a boy born without hearing or speech, and how the Moonbird helps him learn to communicate, and then his parents are taught the same. I LOVE these illustrations. The final message is great as well.

[Christina Reid · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations from Jane Ray were the main reason that I picked this up and I was intrigued to see a storyline around hearing difficulties and deafness. This is really important as so many people have hearing problems and are not given due consideration. Unfortunately, the story was a little confusing which took away some of the impact.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not personally that keen on the pictures. I’m not certain it gave the right idea about deafness. The child is special because he’s not really deaf is the message that came through to me. Probably not what the author meant but the fable was confusing.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations in this magical book was the highlight of the story!!

[Carolyn Scarcella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great children’s books. No need to explain. It relates to deaf children, which we can see people sign back. Visual book.

[zunggg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastical kids' fable of deafness. The whimsy gets a bit much at times but the luminosity of the text and pictures wins through.

[Esther Grace Watts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moon Bird is a lovely book with eye catching and imaginative illustrations. The pictures are very interesting and ethereal and they tell the story well. I would recommend that this book is read with Year 3 children and is suitable for whole class and independent reading. The text often changes direction and is in different positions on the page which draws in the reader, however, this could be difficult to read for some children. The book could be used in work on fairy tales as the author has thought of combining fantasy with reality. The children could write an alternative ending to the story. A variety of higher level punctuation has been used and there is not much text on the page so it would be good to use in comprehension lessons too.

[Mathew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jane Ray's illustrations are always beautiful to behold and I feel that she masters the page and layout of words better with each new story she illustrates. The story tells of a young boy, Orla, son to a King and Queen, who is deaf. Distraught, they ask across the globe for help to bring his hearing back but learn, through the song of the Moonbird itself and the Moonchild that they should listen to the way he chooses to speak and try to understand the world he hears. Ray is so clever in her collages leaving plenty for the astute reader to find in order to gain a greater understanding of the subtext and a story which subtly supports the need for us to be more aware of those who have hearing difficulties.

[J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

5Q 4P (my codes)
Salty sea air, screaming gulls, and the grit of sand beneath your feet--you're in the world of the Moonbird. With poetic text, stunning images, and an undercurrent of urgency for ongoing conservation efforts, this book grips readers from the opening words. Each chapter is packed with engaging text, photos, maps, and sidebars. The text reads smoothly and provides important vocabulary for the material, and sensory details are included to bring the story to life. This is a seamless blend of adventure, biography, science, geography, and heartwarming storytelling that is sure to delight young nature lovers!

[Nikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a story about aboy who is deaf and needs to learn to communicate through alternative means. The story follows the moonbird who teaches him how to use his hands and eyes to communicate and then helps his parents who are struggling to live with his deafness cope.

The story is a lovely text that will encourage children to talk about how everyone is different.The text is quite poetic in parts and the beautiful illustrations complement the story well.

[Yati · Rating 2 out of 5]

The illustrations are really, really beautiful. The story, however, failed to impress me, it has really odd gaps here and there and I'm not sure how one comes to the conclusion at the end.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story of a young deaf prince and his struggle to communicate with his parents. Lovely illustrations.

[Mikayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book about a young prince who is deaf and is magically taught sign language by the animals in a special garden. He learns to appreciate the magic and music that you can see with your eyes. That is how he communicates.